Forging Divinity

If you are hankering for a return of the more simplistic fantasy of yesteryear, found in the old Dragonlance and the Forgotten Realms books where magic and pure action are the defining qualities, then you'll probably enjoy Forging Divinity -- a good, all out classic Sword & Sorcery romp.If you are looking for dark and gritty, this tale returns to an aesthetic that does not idolize heroes who do part time work being assholes.  There's a heavy focus on magic in this one -- how it works, how to use it, and how to abuse it. This is a world full of gods who walk among mortals, doing the godly things. The question the mere mortals observing these god figures is then 'how the hell do I become one of these gods too.' You do it by forging divinity which is the premise of Rowe's novel.This book actually reminded me a lot like a Brandon Sanderson novel, the independently funded, less hyped up version. And you know, it's every bit as good as Sanderson's recent work, minus the polished prose, the predictable characters  and the shitty romance.Here's some trivia for you: the author used to work for Obsidian Entertainment and decided he'd rather start writing for himself, rather than someone else (even though like Obsidian makes some of the most entertaining, story driven video games -- hello, I'm talking to you, Knights of the Old Republic II and Pillars of Eternity). And thus, Forging Divinity is born, out of the ashes of Obsidian Entertainment.Forging Divinity is a great book -- as indie fantasy goes it stands out as some of the best.While the overall effort is entertaining, there are a few defining flaws to Rowe's effort. The characters do come off as shallow and the antagonist is thinly developed with unclear motivations. Again, pick up any Brandon Sanderson book and you'll run into the same thing, and that man is pretty much worshiped by most fantasy readers, so this may not be an issue for most readers now.While some of the characters may be a bit on the shallow end of the pond, there is no clear side in the story conflict, however, which adds more depth the plot. All an all, a good effort. It's a bit unpolished overall, but certainly readable. So if you want some action-magic heavy fantasy that doesn't try to be something it's not, and you loved the old-school Dragonlance, Dungeons & Dragons, and Forgotten Realm books (though I'd say, a fair bit better even) and Brandon Sanderson, you'll find Forging Divinity and the sequel books right up your alley. Sanderson, move over, you may have a future rival.